“You gotta go hard, you gotta believe in yourself. You gotta have a sense of humor to know that the bullshit is gonna happen, you can’t be too serious about it or too emotional and fake when the bullshit happens. You gotta just stick to the script, believe and have an overwhelming confidence. Be your own biggest fan, your own biggest believer, and put it on your back and carry the weight.”
Death is never easy. The sad truth is many aren’t celebrated until after they are gone. We live life on the notion that there will always be another day, another tomorrow, another time to appreciate the existence of greatness. Until we find out …. Tomorrow is promised to no one.
This is a feeling many of us felt this past month. On March 31st 2019, the world lost another legend. Gun downed in front of his business, in a city he grew up in and loved with his whole soul, Nipsey Hussle aka Ermias Ashgedom, was taken at the heart breaking age of 33.
For the many that didn’t know of his existence and to the millions that loved his energy dearly this was a major loss for the culture we live in today. Nipsey was beyond his years and a visionary within his community as well as the hip-hop genre. He saw his up bringing as a source of power and not a source of pain. He regarded his community as a mecca and gave hope to an other wise hopeless society. A lot of lessons can be learned from this man. A lot of inspiration as well.
In a corrupt system that feeds of the failures of the black man. Nipsey and his brother Sam showed his community how you can rise above the BS and become something so more. How you can invest in yourself, educate yourself, and believe in yourself. Sometimes those qualities can be more meaningful then someone just giving you a hand out. This is why he meant so much to us. So much to his community, and as we have seen in the past month .. meant so much to the world.
His music spoke of the reality of getting out of the hood. Building an empire or like he loved to coin the phase “run a MARATHON”. He spoke about black entrepreneurship and buying back out communities. This is different from the usual “bitches & hoes & suck my dicks & mumble rap” of the new millennium. This quality may have regarded his as one of the greatest rappers of the new millennium. Music is supposed to move you, inspire you, make you feel something. Nipsey did all of that on every track, on every album, and every line.
His legacy will live on for decades to come. Many will speak his name and remember his cause. Many, many more will hear his name a cry. It hurt to lose a real one. Especially when they are so rare. His death has truly brought about a revolution. Unity within the hood. Could it be a dream? Not from what I have seen.
I am ashamed I was not aware of this man’s story or message before his untimely death. So thankful I got to witness his impact. I instantly felll in love with his story, his spirit, his character. I believe the fact that we were born the same year had a lot to do with my affection towards his story. I understood where he came from, and when he spoke i understood the real ness behind it. Not to many from my generation made it. Jay Z is older. Nicki, puff, and even Beyoncé is older than us. Rihanna is younger. So is Chris. So i feel a personal connection to him. His family. His background. As I know many of my generation have.
“Tupac of my generation” a quote the martyr would scream aloud in infamy. No truer words have been said by a rapper. No sadder words to boot. A tragic tale of gone too soon, mixed with a true love story lost. Romeo and Juliet of our time.
I knew of him, because of her. Ms. Lauren London the Beautiful. They dated for 2 years, had a son together named Kross, and have been “married” since. Going on 5 years. & i do not say “married” with any disrespect. She was his wife. With out any shadow of a doubt. but as most tragic tales, they just never made it to the court house. I know a regret she will live with for the rest of her life. My heart felt for her. As I. know damn near every woman with ears to hear the tale has. This is a pain and struggle i never would wish for. So to see it live and know of the person going through the pain. You would have to be pretty darn heartless to not feel anything. There love was something pure. Another rare sight to see in this day in age. To see a man, and thug, a street ni**a, love a woman so respectfully and openly is not something this culture is accustomed to see. It was one of those thing your eyes witnessed and your heart smiled. I never met her and probably never will, but I keep her in my prayers. I keep all of them.
XO,
Crissi Ro
Soap, Tea & Mascara 